VALENTINA

Spain, 1982, 85 minutes, Colour.
Anthony Quinn, Jorge Sanz, Paloma Gomez.
Directed by Antonio J. Betancor.

Valentina is a delightful Spanish film - focusing on children and giving insight into their world. With an opening, focusing on the aftermath of the Civil War and an atmosphere of tragedy and sadness, the film goes back to 1911: a pleasant provincial town, elegant family life, a Catholicism taken for granted. The film focuses on Pepe and his memoirs of his growing up, especially his relationship with Valentina. The world is that of innocence and of 11 and 12-year-old children. The lead cast is excellent - and Anthony Quinn does a pleasant guest role as a benign parish priest. The film led to a television series for Spanish television. There is an attractive musical score by Riz Ortolani.

1. An attractive and charming film? The atmosphere of Spain? For Spanish audiences, overseas audiences? Its being shown at film festivals? The television style of the film?

2. The Spanish film industry: production, television films? The use of archive footage for the atmosphere of 1939? The recreation of 1911, costumes and decor, towns, landscapes? The glowing colour photography? Roz Ortolani's score - background, for emotional response?

3. The impact of 1939: the background of the Civil War, the concentration camps, prisoners, suffering and death? The narrator and his encounter with Pepe Garces? The impact the man made, the ideals? His memoir? The importance of the visit to Valentina - the dedication of the film, the atmosphere of a
true story?

4. The narrator's visit to Valentina - audience curiosity about her? The knowledge of what had happened to Pepe? The significance of the memoir - for the narrator, for Valentina, for the audience?

5. An attractive film about children? The title focus on Valentina - in herself, a young girl, attractive, sharing life with Pepe, fun , the families, innocent love, an ideal, inspiration? The pain of Pepe's separation from Valentina? The beginning of the sadness and ultimate tragedy of his life?

6. Audience response to Pepe? An attractive young boy, in himself, his place in the family? The elegant family with its focus on manners? Meals? The study and Father Joaquin? Pepe's knowledge but his assignment failures? The strictness of his father, the beatings? His stoic attitude, tears? His defiance towards his father? His love for his mother and aunt? Their bringing meals after the beatings? His sisters and the ordinary fights between children? The visits of Valentina - his dressing up, going to meet her, sharing, the signals done on the roof - and his father worried about his dancing on the roof? The gang of boys, the shanghai and firing the stones, the shotgun and the court scene? Pepe's getting into trouble - young boys' trouble? The religious background, going to Mass - and his reading the prayers, and laughing with Valentina? Father Joaquin and the friendship, working hard? His own father with his harshness, reaction to his poetry? The importance of Pepe's reciting his poetry and dedicating it to Valentina? His running away, welcomed in Valentina's home? The killing of the pigeons and the angry reactions? The return home? The visit to the castle, the tunnels? The experience of the ancestors? The document translated by Father Joaquin: saints, poets, heroes? Pepe's experience of the ghost in the caverns? His improving in his study, the experience

7. Anthony Quinn's genial Father Joaquin: old, rough, the scholar, the tutor, celebration of Mass, rebukes in the sacristy, the sharing of the experience of the eclipse, the visit to the castle, translating the Latin, the experience of the caves? A warm picture of a humane priest?

8. Pepe's family: severity, good manners, the girls? The reaction about the eclipse, to Pepe as a poet? To his running away? The ancestors? The visualising of the ghosts?

9. The comparison with Valentina's family and Pepe's being at home there? The mistake of killing the pigeons? The reconciliation with the visit of the families to the castle?

10. The customs of the time, style of life, home, school, church? Affluent Spaniards - homes, cars etc.?

11. The impact on the audience - warmth, hope. regrets?